| We hear the word "green" used a lot these days but | | | | consuming and inefficient. The National Office of |
| how many of us really try to implement it in our daily | | | | Statistics estimate that as much as 50 hours per |
| lives other than separating the glass from tin, from | | | | person, per annum are spent accessing document |
| cardboard come refuse day? | | | | filing! |
| The "green" office is an even more elusive holy grail | | | | 6. Documents can be mis-filed, misplaced or simply |
| and the biggest contributor to what has become the | | | | lost. |
| absolute antithesis of a "green" office is the vast | | | | 7. Current legislation directs us to keep certain |
| amount of documentation that we all produce each | | | | documents for anything from 5 years to 100 years |
| and every day. Walk into any office regardless of | | | | for documents such as wills and epa's |
| size in any town across the country and its | | | | 8. On the positive side, outsourced archive storage is |
| impossible not to see evidence of it everywhere. | | | | relatively cheap. To store 250 typical archive boxes |
| Very large producers of paperwork, (who would | | | | will currently cost about 50p per month, per box or |
| otherwise eventually run out of space to put | | | | £1500 per annum in total. |
| people!), send their archive paperwork to one of the | | | | The PRO'S and CON's of ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT |
| many warehouse storage businesses who specialise | | | | STORAGE. |
| in physical document storage... Sadly all that's | | | | 1. Access to all documents is instant, literally the time |
| happened here is the problem has been transported | | | | it takes for the click of a mouse. |
| off-site but with the added knock on effect of | | | | 2. Removes the time wasting associated with leaving |
| creating an even bigger "less-green"! carbon footprint | | | | your desk and accessing the filing area, viewing files |
| with the requirement for lorries and forklift trucks | | | | and then having to refile. |
| etc. | | | | 3. Multiple users can access the same documents at |
| This "out of sight out of mind" approach is certainly | | | | the same time which is ideal for multi user |
| not a green or even efficient solution to storing | | | | referencing, conference calls or discussions. |
| mountains of paperwork. So what can be done to | | | | 4. Promoting non reliance on conventional filing will |
| move towards the creation of a truly greener office? | | | | free up valuable space and with London office rents |
| There is an alternative and it's been available for a | | | | hovering around £100 per sq feet this can |
| number of years. Sadly however, less than 10% of | | | | make a massive difference to the bottom line. |
| the business community choose to use it. Its | | | | 5. Makes id theft, disgruntled employee theft or |
| generically known as "Document Management" and in | | | | competitor document theft far easier to control via |
| the case of archiving involves nothing more | | | | password access. |
| complicated than electronically scanning the archived, | | | | 6. HMRC no longer require physical documents as |
| or even current, documents to an electronic form | | | | proof and are happy to view and access scanned |
| which are then stored on a PC or network. | | | | documents. |
| But the benefits don't stop there. We not only | | | | 7. Removes the need for physical archive warehouse |
| remove the need for filing cabinets, archive boxes, | | | | storage which increases the carbon footprint. |
| lever arch files and document storage warehousing | | | | 8. Archive files are collected, scanned to disc and |
| but we are able to access all of our documents | | | | returned or destroyed with destruction certification. |
| instantly on demand without getting up from our | | | | This process frees up your own valuable labour |
| desks. | | | | resource. |
| Now we're talking! Actually we're talking bottom line | | | | 9. With an electronic document management, solution |
| too as in a stroke we've increased productivity via a | | | | keeping documents or back-ups for a statutory 5-100 |
| rapid call up of vital documents that would otherwise | | | | year period is a breeze. One 4 drawer filing cabinet |
| take us expensive chunks of time to physically | | | | typically equals one disc! 10. Confidential documents |
| access using conventional paper storage methods. | | | | can be password protected with access strictly |
| The PRO's and CONS of OFF SITE DOCUMENT | | | | limited on a "need to know" basis. |
| STORAGE | | | | 10. On the less positive side, purchasing your own |
| 1. If stored off-site, accessing your archived | | | | document management system will require an initial |
| documents is time consuming and inefficient. | | | | investment although outsourcing archive scanning is |
| 2. Unless stored under ideal de-humidified conditions | | | | relatively cost effective if the volume of your |
| your documents can deteriorate over time. | | | | physical archive is the key issue.. |
| 3. Off-site storage is by definition subject to flood, | | | | Will you be the 90% of businesses who don't |
| fire, loss and/or potential id theft. | | | | embrace this freely available technology or the 10% |
| 4. If stored on your own premises filing cabinets or | | | | who benefit from increased productivity, improved |
| archive boxes can very quickly absorb space that | | | | customer response times and no more time wasting |
| could be utilised for more productive purposes such | | | | trips to the filing area trying to find misfiled, misplaced |
| as additional revenue earning staff. | | | | or just plain missing records? |
| 5. Accessing files in a physical filing system is time | | | | |